Earthwatch Earth Skill Networks 2016: An Open Opportunity to improve Management Practices to Protected Areas in Africa!

Deadline: 26 February 2016

Earthwatch and its Earth Skill Network (ESN) is seeking applications for its annual opportunity for funded training and mentoring in organizational and business management practices to protected areas in Africa.

The Earth Skills Network is a partnership between Earthwatch, UNESCO, IUCN and corporate partners, who are working together to improve the business management skills of staff working in protected areas.

The Earth Skills Network is the evolution of the successful Business Skills for World Sites Heritage programme which ran between 2009 and 2013 in partnership with Royal Dutch Shell and UNESCO. Across both programmes, Earthwatch has trained 40 business mentors who were paired with 36 protected are organisations. This equates to 114 protected area staff trained in business skills.

The Earth Skills Network bridges this gap by bringing together leaders from the business world with protected area managers, in a mentor-mentee relationship, to share knowledge and transfer key business skills.

Benefits

• Access a funded training programme in business planning and effective management practices.
• Receive mentoring from an expert with significant business experience in an international organisation, helping the site to take a strategic approach to tackling specific issues.
• Make better business sense of applicants organisation.
• Develop the confidence, capabilities, competencies, and the skills that influence the ability to put what the applicant have learnt into practice.
• Build an action plan which applicant and his/her peers are committed to, and identifies how he/she will transfer business planning at his/her organisation.
• Increase the leadership capabilities, including self-confidence, team working and influencing.
• Have the opportunity for open constructive dialogue with the corporate world, potentially with businesses that are operating in applicants’ country or region.
• Make an important contribution to protected area management effectiveness assessments at his/her site.
• Travel for three members of staff from their home to South Africa for the 10 day Residential Training Programme (direct flight, economy class).
• Nine nights of accommodation at the Residential Training Programme in the Lajuma Research Centre, South Africa.
• Meals and drinks for the duration of your stay at the 10 day Residential Training Programme.
• Comprehensive medical evacuation insurance for the duration of the 10 day Residential Training Programme.
• All facilitation costs and training materials.
• 12 months of expert business mentoring.

Eligibility Criteria

For Organisations

• Permanent Staff from Natural Protected Areas, Protected Area Agencies or Management Authorities in Africa.
• Site can be marine or terrestrial.
• The site must have an IUCN Protected Area classification, be a UNESCO World Heritage site, and be working towards WHS status or an agency working across a number of sites.
• The site must have clear (gazetted) boundaries.
• Management Authority and Approvals Authority must be known.
• All governance types are eligible for the programme.
• Depending on governance type, the site must have the relevant senior management approvals to participate in the programme.

For participants

• Three employees from the site must be available to participate in the full programme on the same team.
• All three employees must have support and sign off from Protected Area senior management.
• Employees must be fluent in English.
• No business planning knowledge required but employees must be in a position to benefit from the training.
• If the applicant’s site has been on the programme before, he/she are welcome to apply again but please nominate employees who have not already participated.

How to Apply

Interested applicants can send their complete application forms at the address given on the website.

For more information, please visit Earthwatch 2016.